Sadistic Jail Guards Forced San Francisco County Inmates To Fight Each Other for Privileges — Guards Bet On the Fights

Fights engineered by guards are not unusual. In this video, cell doors "mysteriously" open to allow gang members to
attack a rival gang member in a Miami prison. (Screen capture from YouTube video)

By Maria Dinezeo
San Francisco County inmates are forced to fight each other "gladiator-style" for food, and so deputies can bet on the matches, City Public Defender Jeff Adachi said.

Since early March, four sheriff's deputies, including one who was accused of sexually assaulting inmates in 2006, threatened two male prisoners with Mace and beatings if they refused to fight, then gambled on the matches, according to Adachi's office.

Deputy Scott Neu is the alleged ringleader. Neu was accused in 2006 of forcing inmates to perform sex acts on him. The case was settled out of court. The other accused deputies are Eugene Jones, Clifford Chiba and Evan Staehely. All four are on paid administrative leave.

The March 25 report to the San Francisco Public Defender's Office was signed by Barry Simon, with Simon Associates, Private Investigators.

"These revelations are sickening. Deputy Neu forced these young men to participate in gladiator-style fights for his own sadistic entertainment," Adachi said in a statement.

Adachi began investigating the allegations after an inmate's father told his public defender about the abuse on March 12.

On March 23, Adachi interviewed Stanly Harris, 18, whom Neu called "Fat Boy." Harris said Neu made him do push-ups, referring to Harris as a "fighter" he was "training."

Though he said he was embarrassed to admit it to Adachi, Harris said Neu threatened to rape him during those forced workouts, according to the Simon report.

"I'll be doing the push-ups he making me do and he - like, he'll kinda tell me he'll take my cheeks or something like that,'" Harris said.